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Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $45,930 Median per year · $22.08/hr Most earn $35,930–$60,530

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
  • Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
  • Transmit correspondence or medical records by mail, e-mail, or fax.
  • Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, or forms, such as intake or insurance forms.
  • Perform various clerical or administrative functions, such as ordering and maintaining an inventory of supplies.
  • Transcribe recorded messages or practitioners' diagnoses or recommendations into patients' medical records.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Numerous Job Openings

United States
5% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 89,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Offices of physicians31.2%
  • General medical and surgical hospitals22.8%
  • Offices of dentists12.3%
  • Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists3.0%
  • Home healthcare services2.3%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants usually need a high school diploma plus about 1 to 2 years of related office or front-desk experience, so it's an accessible entry-level path. Many people get that experience as a receptionist or office clerk before moving into medical office work.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Build basic office skills like typing, computer software, and written communication, and take a health science class if your school offers one, since these are what clinic employers look for first.

  2. Receptionist

    1-2 years

    Working at a front desk in a clinic, office, or other workplace teaches you scheduling, phone etiquette, and how to greet and check in people, which builds the experience most medical secretary jobs ask for.

  3. Medical Secretary

    Entry-level job

    In this role you schedule appointments, handle patient billing and insurance paperwork, and keep medical records and correspondence organized, using medical terminology you learn on the job.

Where it can lead

  1. Patient Representative

    2-4 years of experience first

    You move from routine office tasks to helping patients solve problems, complaints, and care-related questions, which usually requires strong experience and good judgment in healthcare settings.

  2. Executive Secretary

    2-4 years of experience first

    You support senior leaders with more complex scheduling, reporting, and project work, and this role typically expects more experience and often an associate degree.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take typing and computer classesFast, accurate typing and comfort with office software are basic skills nearly every medical office job expects.
  • Take a health science or biology classLearning basic body systems and medical words makes it easier to understand the terms you'll see on charts and forms.
  • Get a starter job or volunteer at a clinic or hospitalFront-desk or volunteer work shows you how a medical office runs and gives you experience to list on applications.
  • Join a business or health occupations clubClubs like these often offer leadership and public speaking practice, which help with patient and phone communication.
  • Practice professional communicationClear phone manners and polite writing matter a lot when you're scheduling patients and answering questions for doctors' offices.

In college

  • Take medical terminology and anatomy coursesKnowing medical words and how the body is organized prepares you for charts, referrals, and insurance forms.
  • Earn a medical office or administrative certificateA certificate shows employers you've learned billing, coding basics, and records handling, which can help you get hired sooner.
  • Pursue a part-time job at a clinic, hospital, or doctor's officeHands-on work in a medical setting builds the one to two years of experience employers usually want.
  • Build office software skillsStrong skills in spreadsheets, scheduling tools, and electronic health record systems are often tested in interviews.
  • Join a campus organization that involves scheduling or leadershipRunning events or managing a club budget builds the organizing and communication skills used every day in this job.

Tips for getting started

  • Take a medical terminology course or earn a short medical office certificate. Many schools and community colleges offer these, and they can help you stand out even though a high school diploma is the usual requirement.
  • Look for part-time or volunteer front-desk work at a clinic, dental office, or hospital. Hands-on experience with patients and records is often the most valuable thing you can add to a resume.
  • Practice typing and learn common office software such as spreadsheets and word processors. Employers often test these skills during hiring.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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